Two and a Half. I’m not sure what to think about this particular age just yet- the past few days, weeks even, have been quite challenging. I’m not sure if it’s your age or the fact that your mom is 8 months pregnant and it’s the middle of the scorching summer, but everything lately seems like a fight or negotiation. I love that you have opinions and are persistent, but girl, you are wearing me out. 

You are right in the middle of the “it’s MINE” phase, never mind if it is in fact actually yours. Your meltdowns are loud and intense, but thankfully usually don’t last long. You have very specific opinions on the dishes you eat off of, the shoes you wear, and what toys you bring to bed (there’s barely any room for you with all the stuff on that bed). Thankfully, you don’t have strong feelings on your clothes just yet, other than you HATE having your clothes and diaper changed and we end up chasing Naked Charlotte around the house a few times a day. 

We talk about the baby quite a bit, although it’s such an abstract concept and I think you are going to be in for quite a shock in a few weeks. When we ask you about the baby in Mommy’s tummy, you tell us it’s a girl, her name is “Joshua” and you are going to bring her a blanket and feed her bananas and avacados. Hilarious!

Despite the challenging days we’ve been having lately, you continue to be such a joy in my life. I am in awe of how smart and articulate you are, and your amazing memory. Some of the things I want to always remember about you at this age are:

– You love to paint- paper, rocks, your body, and you are good at it. When you color or paint a coloring book picture, you actually do a good job of staying inside the lines

– You love to snack. When I tell you in the mornings where we are going that day,  you will usually ask me if there will be snacks there and associate people’s homes with the snacks they have. This is not my favorite thing about you, because it’s stressful telling you “no” to your constant requests for snacks and the subsequent meltdowns, but it is pretty funny. 

– You insist on putting your sandles on yourself, but have not once put them on the correct feet. 

– We’ve been to the beach twice this summer, and you’ve had the best time. You love playing in the sand and jumping in the waves.

– You are an amazing sleeper at night (12 hours) and have not once climbed out of your bed. However, you are only napping 2 or 3 days a week now. I guess it’s a trade off so we can all go to bed early!

-You adore your Daddy and have loved having him home for the summer. He went back to work yesterday and you’ve cried for him both days. I don’t think I’m going to be the only one who is going to have a hard time with football season this year. 

-You are rarely still or quiet, but when you feel like it, you give the best hugs.

Happy half birthday sweet Charlotte Faith. You are the best!

Love,

Mommy

So What if at the end of the day all I feel like doing is crawling into bed and watching mindless TV or listening to podcasts.? At 31 weeks pregnant, I still feel like absolute crap about 85% of the day. My doctor thinks I have some sort of blood sugar issue, even though I passed my 3 hour glucose test with flying colors. She’s having me check my blood sugar when I feel really bad, and so far…normal. She also suggested sipping Gatorade throughout the day. At this point, I’ll try anything, but gag, Gatorade is nasty stuff. 

So What if ALL of us (not just the 2 year old) are having way too much screen time this summer? My counselor said this needs to be my Summer of Survival, and that’s what it has been. So SO WHAT? I am kind of bummed, however, that we finished season 3 of OITNB so quickly- we should have stretched it out a little longer. 

So What if I’m really disappointed I’m not going to BlogHer this weekend in NYC? It’s totally impractical this year, both physically and financially, but I still really wish I could go after having such a fabulous experience at the conference last year. And So What if I’m torturing myself by still following the FB group for people who are attending and reading all of their posts about being so excited? Womp Womp. 

So What if Grayson hasn’t worn pants/shorts in almost 3 months? Poor little dude is still having a lot of pain in his hips and legs and is just too sensitive to get clothing on his bottom half. I guess it’s a good thing it’s not February or he’d be freezing!

So What if my major accomplishment of the day was ordering newborn diapers, wipes and new bottles for this baby who is now coming sooner than later- yikes! I am so excited to meet him or her but have had absolutely zero motivation to get anything ready. Poor third child- it really does make me a little sad how little excitement I have for any of the baby “stuff” other than the actual baby. 

So What if it seems more likely than not that I’ll have 3 little ones in diapers in about 8 weeks? Charlotte has been less than enthusiastic about using the potty and Mommy has slightly less enthusiasm than her about pressing the issue. The one time she actually went in the little potty (after sitting on it for about 45 minutes while she had “screen time”) I threw up violently after cleaning it up- good grief! She’s only just now turning 2 1/2, so I think we are just going to give it a little more time- at least until my gag reflext improves a little. 

So What if I didn’t share these pictures on the blog when it happened, but want to now? A few weeks ago, the four of us and my mom went to San Antonio for one night to go to Morgan’s Wonderland, an amusement park for kids with special needs and their families. We had such a good time. I choked up the first few rides we went on; the staff just took Grayson and strapped him in, no questions or hesitations. He got to participate in EVERYTHING, which never happens. It was magical. He rode the carousel, the train, a car that went around the park on a track, and a wheelchair swing. Charlotte adored the park too- there were no lines and they let her do whatever ride she wanted for as long as she wanted; I think she and my mom rode the carousel about 15 times. We were only there about 3 hours (Grayson is so sensitive to the heat and Charlotte was exhausted) but will definitely go back!

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